Belmont Boys' Hoops Romp Over Sachems, 52-39

Four Belmont High School hoopsters scored in double digits while Winchester's shooters went into a deep freeze in the second half, resulting in the Marauders easing to their fifth win of the season, defeating the Sachems, 52-39.

Senior guards Sam Musler (16 points, 12 from beyond the 3-point arc) and Manny Cabral (half of his 12 coming from threes) along with senior forward captain John Dillion and center Tyaishawn Abdul-Aziz with 10 points each led the Marauder attack on their Friday night visit to Winchester High School. 

Winchester, with a big, strong front court of senior center Craig Fitzgerald (8 points) and co-captains Conor Dunleavy (7 points) and Ryan Murphy (3 points), kept the game close in the first 16 minutes, out-rebounding the smaller Marauders and taking a 16-13 lead after the first quarter. 

But Belmont's pressing defense allowed the Marauders to take a 23-21 lead before Dunleavy tied it up by out-hustling three Belmont defenders with a sweet up-and-over shot. It appeared that the teams would go into the half tied until Musler hit a straight-away jump as time expired, giving the Marauders a 29-27 lead. 

The third quarter opened with both teams simply unable to fill the basket but not for want of trying. Twice in consecutive times up the court, Abdul-Aziz stuffed Fitzpatrick and then scored inside after nearly four-and-half minutes had expired. Dillon upped Belmont's lead to 37-31 hitting a tre' as the buzzer sounded.

And Winchester never got close again as Musler hit two threes in a row and Cabral followed suit with a three and a pair of driving twos giving Belmont a 19 point lead. Belmont finished with senior reserve Jack Ramsey hitting inside for the final two.